For the next offering of her particular brand of tasteful house music, 23-year-old Maya Jane Coles is scheduled to drop a fresh EP via Leeds’ 2020Vision imprint. The four-song release is called Focus Now, and will be available on vinyl on May 16 on and on Beatport on May 30. On its forthcoming 12″, the releasing label says, “When we discussed the project with her, we agreed it was vital to put together a single that truly reflected her diverse tastes and skills.” You can preview exactly what that sounds like, and also check out the artwork and tracklist for Maya Jane Coles’ new record, below.
The internet—is there anything it can’t do? From facilitating long-distance pizza delivery to providing easier access to esoteric niche porn, it’s truly the be-all-end-all of communication technology. Just ask Marcus Garcia and Jerome Potter (a.k.a. LOL Boys), the transnational dancefloor upstarts who owe the genesis of their collaboration to a chance encounter in cyberspace. With a strong debut on Palms Out Sounds and last month’s follow-up on Discobelle, it should come as no surprise that they’re moving forward while still keeping in touch with their digital roots. For LDR, their third release, a nine-track EP, they’re returning to Palms Out Sounds to drop some seriously funky bass music, with remix support from the likes of Nguzunguzu, Marcus Price, and Jim-E Stack. The EP comes out May 24, but you can check out the album art, tracklist, and streaming preview of it below.
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UK-based house producer Maurice Fulton hasn’t put out too much of his own original material within the past year, contenting himself instead by working as a producer and dropping a string of fantastic remixes. However, that’s all set to change as he readies Shhh, Dandelions at Play, the third album from his Boof moniker, on his own BubbleTease Communications label (which as of today is only represented online by an excellent podcast series). The LP drops June 24, but in the meantime you can preview the album art, tracklisting, and some samples below. (via Resident Advisor)
Tracklist 01. Looking Around in 5c 02. Joi Is Smiling 03. Now She’s Jumping 04. Lulu Is Going to Win the Race 05. Space Potatoes (Maurice Fulton mix) 06. Future Plants 07. Dandelions at Play 08. Dinge Dig 09. Eric Has His G
Parisian avant-dance label Tigersushi has just announced the release of “House of Ill Fame,” the debut 12″ from their latest signing, Crackboy. Maintaining a similar sense of anonymity and mystery as the last release on Tigersushi, a debut from Yes Wizard, Crackboy—that’s right, he doesn’t even have a MySpace to link to—nevertheless has provided two tracks that slot right into the Tigersushi concept. Drawing influence from artists as diverse as Prince, Martin Hannett, and Carl Craig, “House of Ill Fame” takes classic Balearic house and techno vibes for a contemporary spin. You can pick up a copy of “House of Ill Fame” May 30, and check out the tracklist below.
Next on the docket for Bristol bass label Punch Drunk is a release from London’s Bass Clef, a so-called “anthemic summer 12-inch” featuring the tunes “Rollercoasters of the Heart” and “So Cruel.” Those deep, frenetic cuts follow the producer’s Inner Space Break Free cassette that was released earlier this year via his own Magic + Dreams imprint, and are scheduled to drop on June 13. Before then, you can check out the record’s label art below.
Our resident stylist Andrew Porter waxes casual on men’s and women’s must-haves.
It’s summer. There’s a lot going on, and you’re sure to be out enjoying the night quite a bit. You’re dressed to impress and ready to hit the town. However, you feel like your outfit is lacking. Sure, we’ll still give you some clothing pointers this week, but here, also, are a couple unexpected accessories that are guaranteed to make you the life of the party! After all, is anything more fashionable than being the life of the party?
Battery-Powered Mini Fog Machine Is a party really a party without a fog machine? It’s 2011 here, people! Answer = NO. Thank god for the Germans. Apparently, when they’re not busy making the most well-engineered automobiles in the world, heavy-ass food, or minimal techno, the fine people of Germany are developing tiny battery-powered fog machines. Now any casual summer dinner party can be kicked into high gear with ease. The Tiny F07 kicks out some serious fogging action. It’s battery powered and comes with a wireless remote. Yes, all this sounds too good to be true to me as well.
Air Horns Some years ago, my friend and I wound up in the DJ booth at Pacha with Benny Benassi. As strange as it was, I can tell you with a straight face that it was one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. The place was packed with lunatics, and Benassi was spinning nothing but the most progressive pro-ho. I noticed that as tracks built, Benassi would periodically reach up and pull a handle attached to a long chain. This would then blow off the loudest air horn you’ve ever heard. Each time I would look over the edge of the booth to see a crowd of sweaty maniacs—hands in the air, going nuts. With this in mind, I think it’s fair to say that the air horn is the perfect summer accessory. Maybe you’re at a casual afternoon BBQ and you bite into the best hot dog you’ve ever tasted…blow off an air horn. At some house party and the long-haired beardo DJing off his Macbook Pro throws on Sleep’s “Dopesmoker”? Blow off an air horn. Or maybe you’re at the soundclash and while everyone around you flicks lighters, you—being the big dog you are—blow off an air horn. Believe you me, a lot of people aren’t going to appreciate this. Those people hate having a good time.
Zig-Zag Shoes Zig-Zag shoes have been around forever. I used to buy these way downtown Manhattan from some shoe repair place. I think they used to cost me about $15. Not really sure what happened recently—the company was possibly sold or rebranded. Either way, Zig-Zag is back in a major way with all new colors and materials. They are sort of the perfect crossover for those who want something in between a dress shoe and a sneaker. I wouldn’t recommend wearing them with a suit, but you could probably get away with wearing them with jeans and a tucked in shirt if need be. The red and white colorways are spot on for spring and summer. I also like the suede option as well—a nice way to dress up an old classic.
Anderson’s Woven Belts I’m not much of a belt guy, as I’m not much of a tucked-in shirt guy. However, there is a world of belts to choose from if they happen to be your thing. As you may have noticed, I’m a huge fan of bright colors. Apparently, Italian belt-maker Anderson’s is with me on that one. Their multicolor woven belts are really where it’s at—like a rainbow blast on your waistband. A powerful summer belt move. Anderson’s also makes a really neat reversible belt that’s cream on one side and tan on the other. It’s a little more pricey, but perhaps you could justify the purchase with the old 2-in-1 logic.
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Not much needs to be said in the way of introduction for Anthony “Shake” Shakir. The Detroit techno legend has been receiving some well-deserved time in the limelight largely due to the release of last year’s Frictionalism retrospective. Our friends at Intruders TV recently had the opportunity to catch up and chat with Shake at the Qwartz Electronic Music Awards in Paris. You can watch the interview above, and if you happen to live in the Bay Area, you can catch a live DJ set at Icee Hot on May 29.
The fledgling somethinksounds imprint is already on a bit of a roll this year, unveiling choice records from talented newcomers like London’s Tommy Tempa and Berlin-based producer Lucky Paul. The latter of those two has yet to drop his EP, a seven-track affair called The Slow Ground that boasts four original tunes and three excellent remixes on the flip from label mate Eliphino, G$ vs. Gold (the brand-new collaborative outfit made up of Wolf + Lamb’s Gadiz Mizrahi and Eli Gold of Soul Clap, who mark this remix as their world debut), and featured here, bubblin’ UK tunesmith Gang Colours. For his version of “Thought We Were Alone,” the young English artist pitches down its soulful vocal samples, tightens up its ramshackle rhythms, and smooths out its many fractured synth tones into a sleek wash of melody—making for another fine example of Gang Colours’ exciting brand of bass music. The effervescent production seems to whiz past your ears in no time, which is perfect for diving into the rest of the jams that Lucky Paul’s EP will offer when it’s released on June 13.
The musically expansive Washington, DC-based duo Benoit & Sergio have apparently been hard at work in the past months. With anthems on Ghostly International, DFA, and Visionquest already under their belt, it’s not too surprising that they would have more up their collective sleeves. The scope of that more has begun to reveal itself in the form of “Let Me Count the Ways,” an imminent release on Ghostly International’s Spectral Sound sub-label, with another banger in the can for release on DFA this summer. “Let Me Count the Ways” drops May 31, but you can check out the album art and tracklisting below.
1. Let Me Count the Ways 2. Let Me Count the Ways (Autumn Version) 3. Let Me Count the Ways (Extended Version) [Digital Bonus]
Far, far away from our XLR8R HQ here on the West Coast, Romanian producer Montgomery Clunk (pictured above) has remixed this track from Russian beatsmith DZA. As part of a remix comp which takes on DZA’s 2010 Five-Finger Discount LP, this particular re-imagining of the track “Eskimo” finds Montgomery Clunk trying his hand at a variety of sonic manipulations to the grimey, fuzzy original. Maintaining a slow, teetering feel, the remixer adds a host of percussive hisses and clangs that sound as if a struggling machine was pumping and breathing in tandem with the tunes’s lazy bass growls and buzzing synths. Somewhat reminiscent of Chris Clark’s earlier Warp days (think Body Riddle or earlier), Clunk manages to deftly take “Eskimo” from aggressive beat to electro-acoustic mind warp and back a few times over the song’s less than three minutes. This remix, along with 18 other efforts from a host of beat heads, can be found on the Five-Finger Remixes comp when it hits the streets May 16 (in digital and cassette form) on Error Broadcast, who will also serve as the home for Montgomery Clunk’s forthcoming debut LP, slated for release later this year.
